Copyright, Charles G. Imlay, 1888. 



KEY 

— — - POLITICAL. 

Camden, N. J., 



Post Office Box, 38. 



The name of the " Father of his Country," Washington, terminates in a final «. It is this final letter 
n that constitutes the symbol of the Key. 

While 71 is the symbol of the Key, the Key of the symbol is the popular vote. 

Attention is directed to the fact that the symbol identifies itself only with the names of presidential 
candidates. And it must be borne in mind also that it dignifies itself by recognizing only the regularly 
nominated candidates of the two great parties. 

Presidential candidates of both parties have been elected and been defeated, and will be again when 
the names of neither terminate in the symbol 71. In such case the success of the one and the defeat of the 
other can be known only after the closing of the polls. There is present no symbol of success, none to 
cheer the voter and none to suggest the winning ticket. All is chance. The success of one ticket is as 
probable as the success of the other. The following are examples with date of occurrence. 



i8ib. JAMES MONROE, 

1820. JAMES MONROE, 

1844. J.\MES K. POLK, 

1S48. Z. TAYLOR, 

1852. FRANKLIN PIERCE, 

1868, U. S. GRANT, 

1872. U S. GRANT, 

1876. R. B. HAYES, 1 

Chosen by Electoral Commission, j 

1880. JAMES A. GARFIELD, 

1884. GROVER CLEVELAND. 



RUFUS KING, 
J. Q. ADAMS, 
HENRY CLAY, 
LEWIS CASS, 
WINFIELD SCOTT, 
HORATIO SEYMOUR 
HORACE GREELY, 

SAM'L J. TILDEN, 

W. S. HANCOCK, 
JAS. G. BLAINE. 



Even the popular candidacy of Mr. Blaine was defeated by accident. So that at best there exists the 
feeling and the fact of unrest until the result is known. 

Hut in regard to the presidential election in November next, there is no occasion to occupy this field 
of doubt and distrust. By means of the Key, there is revealed another field wherein the name of the suc- 
cessful candidate is known when nominated. 

This opens the way to say that since 1S04, when the electors first voted distinctively for president and 
vice-president, no presidential candidate has been elected by popular vote, whose name lacked the symbol 
n when opposed by a presidential candidate whose name embraced it. There was no election of a presi- 
dent in 1824. He was chosen by a vote of the Mouse of Representatives in 1825. 

The presidential trophies of the symbol « are as follows; 

Presidents. 

1804. THOMAS JEFFERSOA', 

1808. JAMES MADISOA', 

1812. JAMES MADISOA', 

1828. ANDREW JACKSOA', 

1832. ANDREW JACKSOA", 

1836. MARTIN VAN IJUREA', 

i!>40 WM. H. HARRISOA', 

1856. JAMES buchanaa; 

i860. ABRAHAM LINCOLA, 

1864. ABRAHAM LINCOLA', 1 

ANDREW JOHNSOA, (' 

1880 "Counted Out," SAM'L J. TII.DEA. 



^^^ 

^<^. 



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^.s.^. ntcL^.i^'/z 



The roll it will be seen includes the name of the late Sam'l J. Tilden. The friends of Mr. Tilden will 
be glad to see that according to the claims of the Key the election of that gentleman was a certainty. 
Nevertheless, there exists an extensive public sentiment to the effect that in every essential particular the 
administration of president Hayes was a model one. 

The two elections of Washington, and the first election of Mr. Jefferson, occurred before the president 
and vice-president were distinctively voted for by the electors And although electors were not chosen 
altogether by popular vote until after 1824, the amendment to the Constitution directing the electors to vote 
for president and vice-president pa.ssed in (804. The career of the symbol and the career of the popular 
vote bear that date and inseparably co-operate. 

But it must be remarked that the names of Washington and Jefferson both terminate in the letter n, 
and that were the two elections of the first and the first election of the latter included in the career of the 
symbol, it would add three to the number of its trophies. 

Seeing now that the success of the symbol is unvarying, never having once failed in conjunction with 
the popular vote to slay its adversary, what has Mr. Harrison to fear and Mr. Cleveland to hope for in 
November? What agency is capable of diverting a symbol whose sphere is the orbit of infallibility? 

The symbol is not a politician, only political. It is not a partisan, but a patriot. It does not co-operate 
with either of the great parties as such. On the contrary it has dictated the defeat of nearly an equal 
number of the candidates of both. But whenever two presidential candidates are presented and the symbol 
is embraced in the name of one and not in the name of the other, it may be adjudged from all the political 
past that there is a crisis pending, and that the symbol is patriotically present to defeat a candidate whose 
administrative policy would antagonise the public weal. And what is this but the equivalent of the symbol 
saying audibly that the industries of the Country are in peril? /i// industries ! For whatsoever is calcu- 
lated to injure any, affects all. 

The tremendous reach and sweep of the symbol can he seen in the administration of the late Mr. 
Buchanan. His name terminates in the symbol «. And out of his election came emancipation. 

Only one president can be elected. Should it occur that the names of both presidential candidates 
terminate in «, the symbol will conquer the coincidence and conduct to office the candidate whose services 
are suited to the exigency of the times. This has happened, and the following will illustrate it. 

In the year 1864, the names of all the candidates on both tickets terminated in the letter n, as follows: 



For President. 



ABM. LINCOLN. 
GEO. B. McCLELLAN. 



For Vice-President. 

ANf)REW JOHNSON. 
GEO. H. PENDLETON. 



This coincidence seemed to put on trial the integrity, the intelligence and the patriotism of the symbol. 
But it emerged from the conflict with colors flying. It decided the contest in favor of a " continuance of 
the fittest." The popular vote declared that Mr. Lincoln and the great party of which he was leader were 
the better qualified to maintain and perpetuate the affairs of state. 

Mr. Lincoln was looked to to save the country, and as the instrument he did save it. And now it re- 
quires to be saved yet once again ; not by a call to arms, but by an appeal to the ballot on behalf of its 
industrial interests. And it will again be saved. The symbol asserts it. Its candidate is the popular and 
eloquent exponent of the American system, namely, the protection of the products of American labor as 
against free trade. 

The almost interminable frequency of the final letter n in the names of candidates on the national tickets 
from the beginning of the government is more than sufficient to suggest a coincidence of startling signifi- 
cance. And what is the explanation if not that in some mysterious way it is interwoven with presidential 
destiny? To say that no other letter of the alphabet has any bearing upon the subject is considered con- 
clusive of its symbolic character. In tracing it back politically, it was found nestling as a final letter in 
the name of Washington the first president. This may explain the potency of its presidential agency. 

N is the final letter in the distinguished names of Sherman, Allison and Sheridan — names that of late 
were and some again may be prominent in a similar relation. 

And now again this letter n forces itself into prominence as the final letter in the names of Harrison, Morton 
and Thurman, three out of the four candidates to be voted for in November. And Mr. Cleveland himself comes 



within one of it. By dropping the final d from his name, it will terminate in n. This may signify that he 
will come within one of an election, and that one his opponent. His friends now may safely fear that the 
final d of his name in the present campaign stands for defeat. For there is no lucky accident awaiting a 
presidential candidate whose name terminates in d or any other letter, when opposed by a presidential can- 
didate whose name terminates in the symbol n. The latter seems to be the political offspring of the "Father 
of his Country" and heirs of the presidential promise. This is presidential history. 

It must be repeated that the symbol devotes itself exclusively to the names of presidential candidates. 
There is no potency in the letter n, as a terminal letter in the name of a vice-presidential candidate. And 
as this statement also is fatal to the democratic ticket in November, it were better to fortify it by producing 
convincing examples as follows ^ 



1844. JAMES K. POLK, Prest. 

GEO. M. DALLAS, Vice-Prest. 

1856. JAMES BUCHANAN, Prest. 

JNO. C. BRECKENRIDGE, Vice-Prest. 

1872. U. S. GRANT, Prest. 

HENRY WILSON, Vice-Prest. 

1884. GROVER CLEVELAND, Prest. 

THOS. A. HENDRICKS, Vice-Prest. 



HENRY CLAY, 

TIIEO. FRELINGHUYSEN, 

JNO. C. FREMONT, 
WM. L. DAYTON, 

HORACE GREELY, 
B. GRATZ BROWN, 

JAMES G. BLAINE, 
JNO. A. LOGAN. 



The names of all the vice-presidential candidates on the defeated tickets terminated in the letter n. Of 
course concerning the i856ticket,any thought of success would be preposterous The name of Mr. Buchanan 
terminated in the symbol n, and he was a presidential candidate 



The following are the tickets to be voted in November : 



For President. 

BENJAMIN HARRISON, 
GROVER CLEVELAND. 



For VicE-PREsinENT. 



LEVI P. MORTON, 
ALLEN G. THURMAN. 



What has been said in the foregoing is a demonstration both by precept and example, that the letter n as 
a final one in the name of a vice-presidential candidate neither weakens or strengthens the ticket. 

It demonstrates furthermore, that from the time when the president and vice-president were distinctively 
voted for by the electors, no candidate for the presidency has received the popular vote whose name 
lacked the symbol when opposed by a presidential candidate whose name embraced it. This is true, alike 
as to the presidential candidates of both parties. A fact that will have the effect to muzzle the democratic 
hurrah. Especially when it is considered that the name of Benjamin Harrison, the republican candidate, is 
all ablaze with the symbol, as can be seen. 

Not only is n the final letter in Harrison, but singularly enough it is the final letter in Benjamin as 
well. But call him " Ben" Harrison, as some do familiarly, and to see the n crop out in " Be«" is a climax 
of coincidence that may well paralize even the " unterrified." 

This triple play of the symbol in and around the name of the republican candidate may typify the tri- 
colors of the old flag, red, white and blue, the distinctive campaign banner of the ne.xt president, Benjamin 
Harrison. 

Very respectfully, 

CHARLES G. IMLAY. 



